Heritage
by Amvonz
Summary: Jack and Ana had kept themselves distanced. He wasn't looking for love, and she didn't need it. But when an unknown girl emerges from Ana's family tree, things begin to change. In order to help this girl find her way home, Jack and Ana find each other.
1. Prologue: A Letter

My first POTC fic. I don't know exactly what's up and what's down in this fandom, but hey, I'm gonna give it a shot anyway!

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The sun shone brilliantly over the sea as it rose, it's warmth spreading slowly. Anamaria sighed, tired from the week's hard work. Finally, the _Pearl_ had made port in the damned spit of land called Tortuga.

But, watching the sun rise over the landscape of Tortuga, she was brought back to the few sunrises she was lucky enough to share with her mother. Ana shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of thoughts about the family she left behind. But still, thinking of them reminded her why she had been so eager to come to Tortuga in the first place.

Despite the fact that Anamaria was the least likely of the _Pearl'_s crew to receive a letter from family, she still made it a point to open a mailbox under her name in the seldom used Post Office of Tortuga.

She had the feeble hopes that perhaps a family member would be concerned enough to send her a letter. Still, she received nothing after escaping the plantation where she worked, thankfully, as a maid in the manor.

She escaped the cruel life of her enslaved friends due to her mixed heritage. Still, the life of a servant was one that Ana simply could not bear, and at seventeen, she had boarded the first ship out of Hispaniola, searching for what she hoped would be a better life.

Soon after, Anamaria found herself in Tortuga, under the guidance of the infallible, unflappable, and extremely good looking Jack Sparrow.

Speaking of the insufferable git, the pirate captain was following her off the ship in what he assumed was a stealthy manner. After a minute or two of playing along with this game, Ana found herself at the end of her patience, and turned around quickly.

"What are you following me for?"

Jack halted and looked left, right, and then behind himself. With a confused expression on his face, he turned back to Anamaria and pointed a bronzed finger at his own chest.

Ana's eyes were narrowed and her glare did not falter for a second.

"Who? Me?" He shook his head with a pout, resulting in the clinking of his bejeweled hair. "What gave the impression I was following you? I was simply being a good cap'n, and making sure all my crew got to port safe and sound."

He finished off his explanation with a flourish of the hands and a nod, as though he was reassuring himself that he had given Ana an acceptable excuse. His kohl black eyes dared her to defy him.

Anamaria raised a brow at her captain, not buying a single word. She had noticed the flash of curiosity in his eyes every time he watched her walk off the ship and to the Post Office without so much as a goodbye. He wanted to know just where it was that she was going every time they made port on the filthy island. Well, it was none of his bloody business, and if he wanted to know so badly, he should ask!

"Well, being such a good captain, why don't you go watch over Cotton." She gestured with her hand to the mute who was starting to disembark. "He can't very well call for help, can he?" Ana ended with her hands on her hips, feeling rather triumphant.

Jack peered down at her, and clenched his jaw in his funny way while grinding his teeth.

"I think I'd be most comfortable watching from me ship." He flashed his gold toothed grin and turned around, his gait making him stick out amongst all the even-footed landlubbers.

Just as Ana was about to turn again, Jack called to her."Don' worry! I'm still watching over you from here!" His tanned face broke into a smile that left his kohl lined eyes sparkling with humor.

Anamaria muttered a foul word, and apparently said it loud enough for Jack to hear and reply.

"I love it when you talk dirty, luv!"

Letting out a huff, and began again on her course towards the Post Office, for once letting her annoyance go easily. Ana returned to her previous thoughts.

She knew very well in her head, that it was unlikely her small family would ever hear of her arrival in Tortuga some 19 years ago. They most likely thought she had been caught and executed for escaping.

Looking around herself, Ana saw whores and shameless thieves. Beggars and people who could pass for bilge rats. All of them were probably better remembered by their family than Anamaria could hope to be.

Still, in the woman's heart lay a glimmer of hope that somebody, anybody, had heard word of 'Anamaria, the quick and witty pirate, second mate to the daring Jack Sparrow!'

And it was with this tiny hope swelling up inside her that Anamaria entered the dirty and vacant post office.

A balding man with brown spots scattered across his face and his fair share of wrinkles was leaning over the counter in the post office, snoring through what Ana guessed was a pleasant dream.

In a rare moment of tact, Anamaria coughed loudly, and when this garnered no response, she decided to give the man's shoulder a budge.

"Ey, are you asleep?" The answer to this question was obvious, but Anamaria decided to poke him again with a dirty finger and repeat her question.

This time, the man awoke with a start and blinked slowly. The snort he let out loosened dirt and God knows what else from the counter, which turned into a brown puff of smoke, making Anamaria sneeze.

He stared at the pirate for a good while before straightening his back and saying "What is it I can do for ye, miss?"

Anamaria let out a nearly inaudible sigh, running her hand through her jet black hair. How ridiculous would this sound? A pirate asking if she had gotten any mail!

Not even the navy officers that this office was meant for bothered to use it. This was, of course, due to the fact that hardly a single officer was to be found in the whole of Tortuga.

With one more sigh, Anamaria replied "I'd like t' know if I've recieved any mail." The man nodded and turned slowly to the vast amount of slots behind him.

"What be your name, miss?" He asked, craning his head around to look back at the pirate.

"Anamaria Torres" she snapped back, becoming irritated by the man's slow pace. She might as well go back there and check for herself! The man nodded again, and realizing that the "T" 's were in a back room, asked that the miss please give him just a moment.

Three solid minutes had passed and Anamaria was becoming more and more impatient. Finally having decided to go to a tavern or just return to the Pearl emptyhanded, she heard an "Aha!" from behind the wall of slots. The old man must have finally found her empty slot.

The worker's voice could be heard softly, and growing louder, as he made his way back to the front of the post office.

Anamaria strained her ears to hear what the man was saying, as his voice was weak enough already. She decided to be brave and rested her forearms against the brown counter in order to lean closer to the source of the sound. Pirate or not, this place was offensively filthy. She scowled as she thought about the mess her sleeves would become.

Ana almost fell over the counter upon seeing the balding man reappear with a thin envelope within his hand. A million thoughts zipped through Anamaria's head, but they were all a blur. All she could see was the slightly bent envelope and the neat scrawl across it's front.

She snapped out of her reverie to listen to whatever the hell this man was babbling about.

"You'e arrived just in time, Miss Torres! This letter arrived not but two days ago! And the messenger said it was of utmost importance." He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards her.

Anamaria reached her hand out and snatched up the letter greedily. This letter was worth more than if it were written in gold ink. No finer day had Jack chosen to come to stock up on rum!

As Ana was about to use the edge of a dirty fingernail to lift the flap of the envelope, the man spoke again.

" 'Tis from a Magdalena Torres, miss."

The woman's head snapped up. A letter from _Magdalena Torres_? This was not the person she had expected to recieve mail from. Her mother or a friend, maybe. But Magdalena Torres?

The post office worker seemed just as confused as her. His wrinkles creased into even deeper folds upon his forehead.

"Is something amiss, ma'am?"

Ana looked from the man, to the letter, then back. Finally, she voiced her question, almost to herself.

"Who the hell is Magdalena?"

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An author's_ favorite _thing is always reviews! I know that the J/A ship isn't much, so tell me what I can do with this story to improve. I don't care if you like my story or not..just let me know! (You must be warned that I don't tend to update without at least 5 reviews..even though I have a good amount of chapters finished)


	2. Queen Anne

I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers!

Nytd: Thanks for the really helpful review! As you already now, I am glad to accept any and all advice.

Smithy: You'll find out the relation between Magdalena and Ana today. :)

ChaosAndMayhem: I tried to make sure I got Jack's habits down and didn't mess up and get him out of character, so your comment means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

J.L. Dexter: Thanks so much for the well wishes. I really hope that there will be a new surge in the J/A category.

And last but not least, I need to thank my absolutely lovely beta. Squeaky, you are so incredible! I'd probably be making mistakes left and right and end up with a half-assed story without you.

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Is something amiss, ma'am?"

Ana looked from the man to the letter, and then back. Finally, she voiced her question, almost to herself.

"Who the hell is Magdalena?"

The poor man could only stare at her, most likely thinking he had done something wrong. But before the worker could voice his apologies and check for another box under the name of Anamaria Torres, she stopped him.

"Never mind. Here, take this." Ana pressed her palm into his and pretended not to see his shocked face upon finding two shiny coins in the palm of his hand. She simply turned back to the door and returned his smile when he called his thanks to her.

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As soon as Ana had made her way to one of the quieter streets of Tortuga, she sat down on a barrel and looked at the envelope, her fingers running tentatively up and down the flap. She bit the side of her lip, lost in thought. Ana didn't know who Magdalena was, but maybe..maybe she was an aunt, or maybe a grandmother searching for her.

This thought gave Ana new hope. Perhaps she hadn't been completely forgotten after all.

Still chewing upon her lip, Ana moved her hand from where it had been clutching her brown britches and placed the edge of her fingernail underneath the envelope's flap.

The scent of rum bombarded her before she could even get around to lifting the now ripped opening of the envelope.

"What have you got there?" She could feel wiry hairs and beads pressed against her cheek. Then, her precious letter was taken from her grasp. It was all Ana could do from cocking her pistol and pointing it right between his eyes.

"Goddammit Jack!" Ana got up and spun around so quickly it almost dizzied her. "What in Calypso's name do you think you're doin'?"

He was about to open the envelope but stopped in mid action upon hearing her immense anger. Jack looked at her, his black eyes taunting her, despite the fact that the rest of him was frozen stiff with what must be fear.

Ana knew this game very well. They had played it several times in attempts to force secrets out of each other. It was something they'd done to each other ever since they met. But there was no point to it anyway. Either she told him what was inside the envelope, or he would find out himself.

Jack moved again, this time opening the flap of the envelope without so much as glancing at Anamaria.

But Anamaria was not in a playful mood. Deciding to go with her first thought, she pulled her pistol out of its holster and thumbed the hammer. This was too important to mess around with. He had no right to go sticking his nose into her business.

This time, Jack reflexively moved out of the range of the pistol. Then, his eyes flashed with something akin to hurt before he grasped the pistol, pulled it from Ana, and put it back into the holster placed at her hip. Ana was almost uncomfortable with the lack of space between them. Almost.

"Best be making sure you respect the captain." Jack's eyes narrowed and Ana could feel the tension in his words. Jack pushed the envelope back into the palm of her hand, his eyes scanning her visage intently.

Pushing the pirate off, Ana stomped angrily to the nearest tavern, wishing she had shot the man right then and there. Jack made a step as if to follow her, then stopped and decided against it. Ana's nostrils flared angrily. The arrogant ass! Talking about respect when he was about to go looking through her mail! The woman began to breathe normally again as she pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

Jack is a good captain. Quick, daring, and fair with his crew. But he is an intolerable man!

Anamaria took in her surroundings, soaking in the boisterous crowd that had gathered near the bar. The room was dimly lit, and in the shape of a long rectangle. She pushed her way through the prostitutes and drunks, willing herself not to breathe through her nose.

Suddenly though, her breathing was cut short when she sucked in what was, admittedly, a rather girlish gasp. She could feel an arm wrapping itself around her waist from behind, the thumb running circles on her belly. Grimacing at the unwanted touch, Ana shook her body, making her way out of the grasp of what turned out to be a disgusting man with what looked like drool spilling over his lower lip.

The fiend was trying to feel her through the white blouse she had on, groping blindly up and down her sides. Ana responded to this by curling her upper lip in disgust, reminded of the last day she spent as a maid at the plantation. When these terrible memories struck her, Ana found herself half wishing that Jack had actually followed her into this hellhole of a bar.

Now that the drunk's arms were fastening around her again, Ana wiggled in another attempt to make some distance between herself and the gross and filthy man.

"Hey now, missy." The drunk began "It's a lot easier if you just stay still." He let out what was supposed to be a seductive growl, but only succeeded in making his gut shake against her body. Having come to the peak of annoyance, Anamaria swiftly brought her rather bony knee up to the man's intimates, recieving a very foul word in response. Backhanding him hard enough to draw some blood, the pirate saved just enough time to pull her cocked pistol from her holster. As she pointed it square between the grisly man's eyes, Ana thought to herself that she was getting awful tired of these situations. She only had so much gunpowder left, after all.

The drunkard looked up at her again, his blue eyes flashing dangerously despite the weapon at his forehead. Still, the man had no time to act, the tavern's owner grabbing him by the arm.

In a storm of motion, the sympathetic barmaid berated, scolded and then swiftly kicked the drunk out of her tavern, warning him not to show his face in her bar again. Ana bade him good riddance with a smirk on her lips.

Turning again to the now quiet tavern, Ana lamented that her supposed day off was more eventful than she ever would have hoped. On that note, Ana hoped with all of her heart that she wouldn't see Jack for the rest of the day. Or any more drunks, for that matter. Honestly, if she never had to come back to Tortuga gain, it wouldn't be so bad.

The pirate brushed her hair away from her face and looked for the seat farthest from the noise of the patrons in the bar. Her dark eyes settled on a booth, and she made her way once again through the crowd. Maybe some rum and a little quiet would finally get her to relax

Sitting in the corner table of the tavern, amusingly titled Queen Anne's Head, she once again took a look at the now crumpled envelope. Now was the time to read the letter.

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After ordering a mug of grog from the heavy barmaid, and taking a gulp from the burning liquid, she slid out the letter from the envelope Jack had been so kind to open for her. Ana hesitated in unfolding the paper, but curiosity got the better of her.

Written in a heavy black ink that left thick dots where periods should be, was this letter:

_Dear Anamaria,_

_This letter may seem a nuisance to you, as I've been told not to bother you several times by family members who tell me of your successful work aboard a fishing ship. Still, I cannot help but think of you as I suffer in my current situation._

_With my parents having returned to Spain in order to attempt to restore our previous financial situation, I've been put into the care of your cousin, Jonathan Torres. In his custody, each day is a nightmare. I tend to his every whim, and bend at his very will. Taken from the life of the daughter of a hardworking man, I am now my uncle's servant._

_The rest of my family may not know this, but I am well aware of your escape from the plantation of Mister Scott. _

_Because of my entire family's precarious financial state, the Scotts have taken advantage of our weakness, and Jonathan is regrettably set to sell me to the Scott family soon. I fear of what will become of my life should this negotiation become realized. You know better than I that the life of a servant is no life at all._

_So I ask you, as family, to take me out of the custody of Jonathan. I do not know you, and you definitely do not know me, but we both know what will happen to me in the next weeks._

_Show me your mercy and love._

_Sincerely,_

_Magdalena A. Torres_

Anamaria could feel the headache begin to hammer her head. A worker on a fishing boat, huh? Her family must have been ashamed of what she'd become.

But they had no real clue of what she was now. She was working under perhaps the most wanted, most intelligent pirate in all of the Caribbean, laboring all day on the legend that was the _Black Pearl_.

But still, all that accounted for nothing. A pirate was a pirate.

Ana crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it into the darkest corner she could find. Slumping over the table, she began to think. This girl was obviously related to her, if she was the neice of her cousin. But, Magdalena must be of a higher status than Ana was, to be able to write like that..But if that was the case, then why was she being made into a servant?

Oh, of course. Money couldn't make up for your family tree. Ana felt her jaw clench, angry at the unfairness her family still suffered.

Taking another sip of her grog, Ana was divided. She had half a mind to leave that letter in that corner and forget about it. She was able to escape the plantation all by herself, so should this Magdalena! But still..the life of a servant truly was no life at all. And if this was the only reason family would contact her, then she certainly wouldn't pass it up.

But how to get around Jack? Ana grumbled to herself, knowing well that her captain would refuse to take part in the escapade. Her mind blank, she stared at the empty pewter mug in her hands. Then, a wicked though struck her in the head like lightning.

Jack wouldn't want to take part in the plan. Unless of course, Jack didn't know what exactly they were doing.

She may not be as quick as Jack, but Ana was still clever alright.

Ordering another mug of grog, Anamaria smiled to herself, suddenly feeling the playfulness that escaped her earlier that day. Determination hardened her dark face.

Time for a new game, Captain Jack.

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Reviews are very much appreciated!!!


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